Muggles and their Disney Movies: The Prequel
by Movimationguy
Summary: If you loved the original Muggles and their Disney Movies, you won't want to miss this exciting prequel. It contains Disney films I haven't written about in the last one, and Harry going to see them before even starting at Hogwarts. What was the first one he saw? Or the first one he and Hermione saw together? Well, that's for me to know, and you to find out.
1. The Black Cauldron

_Chapter 1: The Black Cauldron_

It was in the mid autumn of 1985. Young Harry Potter was five years old and had already begun Year One of Primary School.

If you've read my other stories, you'll recall that he was living a secret life at his home at 10 Newcastle Road in Liverpool, with his parents, Lily and James Potter, his godfather, Sirius Black, and god-uncle Remus Lupin. His god-cousins, The Tonks Family, would drop by every once in a while as well.

But also keep in mind, this was before he met Hermione or even the Weasleys. He didn't meet Hermione until he was seven and she was eight. The Weasleys didn't come into the picture until later.

But you may also recall a certain tradition that falls in my stories.

Well, today was Friday, October 11, 1985. Harry was especially excited, as his family would be taking him to the cinema after school to see a rather special film that was opening that day. This would be the first Disney film he'd ever see on the big screen, and one of the first films overall. That film was Disney's 25th animated feature, _The Black Cauldron_.

It had already opened in the United States during the summer, to little box office intake. Thus, it seemed Harry had already seen the trailers on television and James and Sirius thought this would be a good starter film for him. But Lily didn't seem too sure about it.

"James!" she cried. "How can you even think of taking my baby to see this?! He's only five! It'll likely frighten him!"

"Spoken like any stereotypical mother of the 80's," James retorted.

If you're confused by Lily's sudden change in behavior, compared to her more laid-back attitude in my other stories, remember; a fun-loving attitude takes years to develop. Especially after you've just had your first child and were nearly attacked by some psychotic killer before he was completely erased from existence by a narrator who shall remain nameless…

I'm a bit of a sucker for darker humor.

Anyways, later that afternoon as the school bell rang, Harry grabbed his rucksack and ran out the school doors, where his parents were waiting for him by the family car. But keep in mind, this isn't the Rolls-Royce limousine. This is a maroon Ford Escort Sedan, with all the same charms on it. They wouldn't get the Rolls-Royce until later. Harry spent the whole ride home bouncing up and down in his seat, even though they weren't going to the movie until the evening.

Once evening came and everyone was prepared, Lily took Harry by the hand and led him outside to the car, where James, Sirius, and Remus were waiting. James was waiting in the driver's seat for Lily to join him, but she had other ideas.

"You ride shotgun, Sirius," she instructed. "I'm going to sit in the back, where I can hold my poor baby's hand."

Naturally, this made Sirius gag, but Harry, being a five year old, was more fixated on seeing the film. They drove to the Plaza Cinema at 13 Crosby Road, North. As everyone got out of the car, Harry looked amazed at the bright neon lights, but Lily noticed him standing in his tracks.

"You'd better take him by the hand James," she advised.

"Yeah," James agreed. "Or else he'll think it's someplace where they keep the girls."

"James!" Lily scolded.

"I'm kidding, love," James laughed.

James and Lily each took Harry by the hand and led him into the cinema, where Harry was even more mesmerized by the snack bar. Sirius seemed mesmerized by the sweets they had, but Lily grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Don't give him any ideas, Sirius," she insisted.

"Oh lighten up, Lilyflower," he teased.

"Hey!" She demanded. "Only my husband may call me that."

"Whatever Lils," James shrugged. "The four of us will split a bar of chocolate, or whatever. Harry will be perfectly fine with his own popcorn."

"Alright," Lily decided. "But I'm still holding his hand and carrying him out of the cinema if he cries."

The group soon entered the cinema and sat down, with Sirius on the left, then James, then Harry, and Lily on the right. Once the light dimmed, she began to gently clutch his hand, but Harry didn't notice and was too busy eagerly awaiting what was going to happen.

Once the film began and the Walt Disney Pictures logo shows, Lily's face became doubtful.

"Do you really feel that logo is necessary for a film like this?" She whispered to James and Sirius.

This resulted in shushes from the three Marauders, while Harry still marveled at what was in front of him;

It was the opening scene with the narrator, while the black mist revealed the Black Cauldron, as ominous music played over it.

Here, Lily began to clutch Harry's hand tighter, but he still didn't notice. To Harry, this scene was a good segue into the next one;

It was the scene where they met Taran, the film's protagonist as he went on his quest with the oracular pig, Hen Wen. It was a very quiet, peaceful, earthly scene, with a fair segue into the next part;

The reveal of the Horned King's Castle and the Horned King himself. The castle seemed mysterious, but the Horned King was just ominous. His figure was like a silhouette of the Death Eaters that roamed Britain years ago. His voice didn't help much either. It was more like a whisper compared to the hisses of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Lily was tempted to shush me there, but by now, she let go of Harry's hand.

"It's not going to get any scarier, is it?" She asked, getting more shushes than last time.

And she wasn't kidding. Soon enough, it was time to meet the hairy little Gurgi, who didn't seem to make the scene any funnier.

"He's no funnier than a house elf trying to punish himself," Lily muttered, hoping to avoid the shushes.

When the dragon-like Gwynthaints flew in, Lily could tell that this was supposed to be scary, but sitting in the audience with four boys, she realized they were going to be more fascinated than scared by this.

It also didn't help that it was followed by the scene in which Taran found a magic sword. This made Lily mutter,

"Oh no. We're not going back, are we? You just had to give the boy a sword."

Naturally, this resulted in the whole audience of only a few dozen people shushing her. By this point, Harry was literally glued to the cinema screen, eagerly anticipating more action with the sword.

While watching the rest of the film, Lily could tell that her boys were going to be such boys about the whole experience.

By the end of the film, Sirius and Remus came bursting out of the cinema with huge grins on their faces, while James and Lily each took Harry by the hand. James also seemed to have a huge grin on his face, but Lily remained straight-faced… for a while.

She now saw that Harry was imitating his father's big goofy grin and she began to burst out laughing. But she noticed that James was now smirking at her and she tried to get all straight-faced again.

"What?" She asked.

"I knew it," James smirked.

"Knew what?" She retorted.

"That you and Harry wouldn't find it scary at all," he replied. "Isn't that right, Prongslet?"

"Brilliant, Dad," Harry agreed.

"James!" Lily tried to scold. "Don't encourage him by using that name!"

"Come on," James teased.

It was at this moment that Lily realized there was no winning here.

"Fine," she sighed. "You win. But I get to choose the next Disney film we take him to."

And just what was the film she chose? Well, that's for you to find out in the next chapter…


	2. Bambi

_Chapter 2: Bambi_

It was the mid-March of 1986. Young Harry Potter was now three-quarters through Year One of Primary School. It had been nearly five months since he saw his first Disney film, _The Black Cauldron_ , which his mother, Lily, worried might have been too scary for him, like any stereotypical nervous mother of the 1980's.

It was because of this that she insisted on choosing the next Disney film they took him to see, and that was UK re-release of Disney's sixth animated feature, the 1942 masterpiece, _Bambi_. She was sitting in the living room of their Liverpool home flipping through the channels and saw a preview for the film on television.

This was one that Lily thought might be perfect for five and a half-year old Harry. And maybe even nearly three-year old Sarah.

If you recall from my other stories, Lily and James also gave birth to a daughter named Sarah a few years after moving to Liverpool. Now she was toddling and was joining Harry in his play whenever he came home from school.

Back in the living room, Lily jumped out of her seat after coming upon the preview.

"Yes!" She cried. "This is perfect!"

"What's perfect?" James asked as he entered the room.

"This is!" Lily replied as she directed him towards the television screen. "My choice for the next Disney film we take Harry to see, and possibly Sarah."

"Really, Lils?" James asked, skeptically.

"It's got cute, talking, fuzzy little animals," Lily explained. "What could possibly be wrong with it?"

You're probably wondering how she could possibly think of Bambi without thinking of that infamous scene, halfway through the film?

Now Lily began to look rather sheepish.

"Well," she continued. "To be frank, I've never seen this film. But let's see what Harry thinks, shall we?"

"Yes," James smirked. "Let's see what our little Prongslet has to say about this…"

He had to do it, you know. Anyways, James trotted up the stairs, headed into Harry's bedroom, and showed him a newspaper with movie showtimes. When Harry saw the advertisement for _Bambi_ , with the cute little characters in the foreground, ignoring the savage hunting dogs attacking in the background, he smiled in agreement.

"Dad, look at this!" He cried, pointing to the bottom-right corner of the ad.

James took a look at the corner of the ad, which read,

 _Plus,_ _in_ _their_ _FIRST_ _screen_ _performance!_

 _Walt_ _Disney_ _Presents,_ _Wuzzles_ _In_ _"Bulls of_ _a_ _Feather"_

"Perfect," James muttered.

"What's perfect?" Lily asked, as she entered the bedroom.

"Look here, Lils," James answered, showing her the ad with the _Wuzzles_ on it.

"Indeed," she agreed. "And I think we'll take Sarah with us, too."

She got down to Harry's level, clutching the newspaper.

"What do you say, Harry?" she asked, "Should we take your sister to see this, too?"

"We might as well," Harry answered, jokingly, after shrugging his shoulders.

 _The_ _Wuzzles_ , for the uninitiated, was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Disney at the time. It was about a group of hybrid animals living on a faraway enchanted island. But keep in mind, in those days, the Disney Channel was a premium service channel and they did not produce ANY of their own shows. For the most part, it was just reruns of older shows, like _The_ _Mickey_ _Mouse_ _Club_.

Also, you can easily tell by the premise that _The_ _Wuzzles_ was for younger children. Harry's sister, Sarah, was clearly a fan of the show, like all the other kids that also loved the _CareBears_ and the _Gummi_ _Bears_ , also produced by Disney. Since it was the 1980's, there were toys made out of it, and Sarah each had a stuffed Eleroo (half-Elephant, half-kangaroo) character from the show.

Anyways, soon enough, the big day came. It was Friday, March 21st, 1986. Harry was waiting in his room, until James came into the room and brought him downstairs and outside, where everyone else was waiting. Lily was carrying little Sarah, while Sirius and Remus were holding the car door open for Harry.

For this occasion, the car was charmed so that it could hold more people, rather like a station wagon, so there were three rows instead of two. Lily, like any mother, insisted on having the kids in the middle row, right behind the driver's seat. Sirius was about to protest on having to go in the back, when Lily intervened,

"Do you know what happens when you don't place little ones where their mothers can see them easily?"

Sirius stopped as Lily placed the kids in the middle row, while she sat up front, seeming perfectly confident that this movie would be a safe experience for the kids… or so she thought.

They finally arrived at the Plaza Cinema, where James took Harry by the hand, and Lily carried Sarah into the theatre. Upon entering, Sarah seemed mesmerized by the snack bar, this time. But Lily picked her up and carried her away.

"No sweets or popcorn for you, little missy." She demanded. "Small bits are not for children under three years old."

Sarah was tempted to whine about it, but Lily still held control.

"None of that," she dismissed. "You'll be three soon enough."

They ended up buying a large popcorn for Harry and the adults to share, while the four adults split another chocolate bar.

They entered the cinema and sat, once again, with Sirius on the left, then James, then Harry, and Lily on the right, with Sarah in her lap. The lights dimmed, the previews ran, and the _Wuzzles_ cartoon was shown.

To Harry and the Marauders, it wasn't much. It was really just an episode from the television show blown up eight times larger. The difference in animation from the actual movie would prove that, but to Sarah, it was another episode of the show she loved, and to Lily, it seemed like the 'wholesome family entertainment' she wanted her kids to see… or so she thought.

Soon enough, the film began and the Walt Disney Pictures logo was shown. First came the opening credits, which, to Sirius at least, seemed strange. Particularly considering how many people would actually want to watch that part.

But once the film actually began, in which Bambi was born and just starting to explore the world around him, seemed a little too cutesy for the Marauders. But it seemed like they were living up to Lily's expectations.

But, sadly, her expectations wouldn't be fulfilled for very long.

Soon after, came the rain sequence, with the _Little_ _April_ _Showers_ song. Apparently, there was a fair amount of thunder and lightning in this scene and naturally, Lily began to worry if this would be a little scary for her kids. But both Harry and Sarah were sitting perfectly still, and being very quiet about it.

The next few scenes didn't help Lily much either. The scenes that followed this, like the ones out in the meadow, became very quiet and somber. The silence wasn't broken until the sound of a gunshot was heard, sending all the animals of the forest running. It was the sign of the approach of that naïve and most dangerous of all animals known as… Man.

But for Lily, the crash and burn point of it all was that most famous scene that everyone knows this movie for…

It was that sad moment Bambi's mother was shot, and all the kids in the audience were sent out into the real world.

It was at this moment that Lily was in tears and she expected to see her own kids looking the same way… But they didn't. While some of the other little children in the audience were crying and their parents had to carry them out of the cinema, Harry and Sarah remained perfectly still and quiet, with only a somber look on their faces.

By now, you'd probably think the film was over, but it wasn't. After his mother's death, Bambi was raised by his father and we meet up with him again as an adult, reunited with old friends Thumper the rabbit and Flower the skunk. He falls in love with his childhood sweetheart, Faline, but they become separated. When trying to find each other, they have a near-fatal encounter with a pack of hunting dogs.

It was here that Lily realized,

"We're not going back, are we?"

It just got worse as Man came into the forest to hunt more animals. After one bird was shot out of the sky, many of the animals were sent running in their fear. But worst of all, they even set the forest on fire, causing all the animals to run in their fear again. Bambi even had to jump over a waterfall to escape the whole thing. The buildup behind this scene was so intense, that more children began to cry and their mothers had to take them out of the theater.

But to some people's relief, the anxiety began to die down as the forest fire died, and it dissolved to the next scene with a restored forest. It was here that Faline gave birth to twins, as Bambi watched proudly from afar, while his father walked away, having done his job.

This whole film does sound familiar, doesn't it? Almost like another film Disney would produce a number of years later, which would become Harry's favorite.

Anyways, once the film was over, the group headed out of the theater. James, Sirius, Remus, and Harry all looked as if they'd enjoyed themselves, but Lily looked too horrified to speak.

"Well, what do you say, Lilyflower?" James teased.

"Are you kidding me?!" Lily snapped. "That was terrifying! Why did I think this was a good film to take the kids to?"

"Oh come on!" James teased. "It wasn't all bad. The kids seemed to enjoy it."

"Harry maybe," Lily disagreed. "But Sarah…"

Lily took one look at her daughter and saw that even she wasn't terrified in any way.

"I don't believe this." She grumbled.

"Oh lighten up, Lilyflower," James teased.

"Oh, alright," she sighed. "You do have to admit, after a film like this, what could possibly be scarier for little ones?"

I'm sure you're probably wondering the same thing after reading this chapter.

Well, just stay tuned and you'll find out soon …


	3. The Great Mouse Detective

_Chapter_ _3:_ _The_ _Great_ _Mouse_ _Detective_

It was October 1986. Young Harry Potter was now six years old and in Year Two of Primary School.

A year before, he was taken to see his first Disney film. He was taken to his second, six months prior. Now he was ready for his third; it was Disney's 26th animated feature, _The_ _Great_ _Mouse_ _Detective_. It was about to be released in the U.K., under the title, _The_ _Adventures_ _of_ _the_ _Great_ _Mouse_ _Detective_ , and he seemed fairly excited about it.

From what he saw in the previews, it seemed to be a mouse version of another film he'd seen the previous spring; Steven Spielberg's _Young_ _Sherlock_ _Holmes_. It was about Holmes and Watson meeting each other as teenagers and solving a mystery hidden within their boarding school. Basically, it was Harry Potter before it was even written. But after seeing it, Harry was always on the lookout for new films to see.

His parents saw that is was opening on a Sunday, which Lily didn't seem pleased with.

"James, it's a school night!" She insisted.

"Lils, it's only an hour and a half long film," he reassured her. "Besides, what do you expect Harry to do after? Run off to the pub?"

"But…" Lily started looking for an argument, but there was only one other she could come up with, "What if it's too scary for him?"

"Hey now, don't start that again," James countered, to quote another Disney film.

Lily sighed, "I can't win against you, can I?"

"Nope," James grinned, cheekily. "Besides, it's a film about cute little mice. This should be a good second film for Sarah."

Little did they realize that Harry was waiting eagerly on the stairs, snickering at his parents' little "spat". He knew by this point in his life that parents were bound to argue over silly things their kids did. Especially what movies they were seeing and when.

After hearing footsteps, they stepped out of the kitchen and saw Harry waiting on the stairs with an ear to ear smile on his face.

"Peeping eh, Prongslet?" James teased.

Harry started laughing and began to run back up the stairs, until Lily and James playfully ran after him. They finally caught him, picked him up, carried him to the living room, and doubled over on the couch, laughing.

Anyways, the big day finally came; it was Sunday, October 19, 1986. James was busy getting the Ford Escort ready, while Harry was rushing down the stairs. He saw the rest of his family gathered in the living room; Lily, Sirius, Remus, Sarah, now three years old, were all seated on the reddish orange stretch-cover sofa, resting on muted green carpeting, surrounded by white walls with wood-grain molding. They were sitting front of the television set (A Sanyo CTP Model 7118, 22 inches with wood-grain paneling on the sides) watching a preview for the film.

The adults in particular watched the preview, seeming bizarrely inquisitive about it, until Harry saw the Escort outside and got an idea; He raced to the front door and left it wide open, opened the door to the car's driver's seat, and whispered his idea to James. Grinning madly and nodding his head, James rolled down the car windows and cast an amplifying charm on the steering wheel.

The rest of the group kept staring at the television until they heard an unusually loud honk coming from outside. This caused them to jump practically until their heads hit the ceiling and start darting around to try and find the source of the noise; until someone noticed the open front door. Each of them stepped outside and when James saw them, he finally stopped the honking.

"Prongs, honestly…" Remus began.

"Yeah," Sirius interrupted. "Pulling one without me…"

But Lily silenced him before they could finish.

"Couldn't resist, could you James?" Lily grumbled.

"Not me," James laughed. "Him."

Lily noticed Harry sitting shotgun in the Escort and opened the door to take him out.

"Harry," she teased. "Next time you want to prank someone, never forget to ask your father."

Harry doubled over laughing again as Lily opened the back door and placed him back in the car before entering herself, along with Sirius, Remus, and Sarah. Once they were buckled up, James started the Escort and they began the drive to the Plaza Cinema.

During the car ride, Sirius, Remus, and Lily began to discuss what they saw on television;

"What do you suppose this one will be like?" Sirius wondered.

"More like the ones they've been putting out for the last ten to fifteen years," Lily suggested.

"Which ones are those?" Sirius asked.

"The ones we've been seeing on television every Sunday night," Lily explained. "You know _The_ _Aristocats_ , _Robin_ _Hood_ , _The_ _Rescuers_ , and _The_ _Fox_ _and_ _the_ _Hound_."

"So, the fuzzy little animal stories?" Remus reasoned.

"Mmm-hmmm," Lily replied. "It would be nice to see something like those older films again, though."

"What do you mean," Remus queried.

"The older Disney films actually had magic in them," Lily explained. "Not only that, but the drawing style was smoother with coloured lines, as opposed to the sketchy black lines they use today."

Remus and Sirius looked at each other for a minute before Remus replied, "Go on."

"Also, the films they put out in the old days had musical numbers and massive dramatic moments," Lily continued. "Today's films seem just too… quiet for me."

Now, Sirius and Remus began to look even more intrigued; it seemed that Lily basically had them when she said "too quiet".

"Keep talking," Sirius advised.

Lily immediately launched into a longer description of what Disney's earlier films were like, and the fairy tales they were based on. In the driver's seat, James heard them conversing and saw them through the rear-view mirror. As he continued to drive, he turned his attention to his son.

"Look at your mother, godfather, and god uncle, Harry," He muttered. "With the way they were talking about it, you'd think they were a sitcom family or a group of schoolchildren."

Harry simply laughed at the thought of the adults in his family acting like schoolchildren, probably because he'd either watched too much television or wasn't quite sure what a "sitcom" was, being only a six-year-old.

When they finally reached the Plaza, they parked the Escort and James, once again, took Harry's hand while Lily carried Sarah into the cinema with Sirius and Remus following behind. Upon entering, Lily put Sarah down, forgetting her daughter could easily run off.

Naturally, Sarah did run off and made her way for the snack bar. Needless to say, Lily noticed again and took off after her. This time, Sarah was trying to climb over the counter to get the sweets easier. She kept struggling until Lily caught up to her and took her by the hand. Even though she was now three years old, Lily still wasn't willing to give Sara popcorn or anything sugary.

Sarah began to whine again as James picked up their refreshments; one small popcorn for Harry and a chocolate bar for the adults to split, again, along with five sodas.

Eventually, the theatre doors opened and the family entered to take their seats. There film opened interestingly enough;

A little mouse named Olivia Flaversham ducked into a corner as her home was raided by a manic bat and her father was kidnapped. Once the ruckus was over, she began to call for her father and receive no reply.

To add "response" to this, a voice dripping with sarcasm shouted, "Mummy, this is scary as…"

But before he could finish, Lily reached over and covered Harry's ears. The film became more tamed as it went on, but in all the right ways, apart from one scene with a mouse dressed as a skimpy showgirl. Lily thought that part could have been toned down a little.

Harry smiled as he watched the film's protagonist, Basil of Baker Street, in his energized, tenacious nature. He knew he could identify this from Young Sherlock Holmes, and it helped to see that Basil even lived in Holmes' house.

The three Marauders, however, seemed to love the villain, Professor Ratigan, with all his egotistical prancing around and giggling. They smiled after recognizing the actor doing his voice; Vincent Price.

But the big deciding point was the film's climax at the Big Ben clock tower. Basil and Ratigan chased each other through the gears on the inside, up until facing off on the face of the clock. The fight between the two mice, though without blood or gore, still gutted them in the stomachs due to the nasty sound effects. But it was all the more satisfying as Ratigan fell to his death when the clock bells rang.

Once the film was over, the family darted out the doors, clearly having had a good time. Lily carried Sarah again, while James took Harry by the hand as Sirius and Remus followed behind.

James smiled at Harry again. "What did you think, Pronglset?" he asked.

"Brilliant!" Harry answered, with yet another wide smile across his face.

"The cinema works its magic again, Lils," James teased.

"Indeed," Lily grinned. "Even Sarah sat through the whole thing."

"And that chase with all the gears inside Big Ben," James added. "You've got to wonder how they did that in a film animated with pencil on paper."

"Yeah," Lily agreed. "But I still wish Disney would try and make a film the way they used to."

"Oh come on, Lilyflower," James pleaded. "This one wasn't that bad. Besides, maybe the day will come when Disney finally gets their mojo back."

Lily knew James was right, and had to smile at her reassuring husband. But little did she know that at that very moment, Disney was working on a little project that might just give them their mojo back…


	4. The Brave Little Toaster

_Chapter 4: The Brave Little Toaster_

It was November of 1987. Harry was now seven years old and in Year Three of Primary School

This year, the Potter family had some new next-door neighbors, The Grangers, who had moved to Liverpool during the summer. The Grangers consisted of father Paul and mother Jane, who practiced dentistry, and their daughter, Hermione, who was just Harry's age. Both of them were attending school together and constantly sitting next to each other in the same classes.

Hermione had a mane of bushy brown hair atop her head and a set of very focused chocolate brown eyes. From the look on her face, she seemed very inquisitive and articulate for her age.

As we all know, Hermione was a voracious reader and liked to take in every detail of whatever she read, thus making her a star student at school. But she still liked going to the cinema as well and taking in every detail of every film.

Because of this, the Disney films were particular favourites of hers, especially the earlier films with their lavish details, as well as their feminine appeal. She hit it off with Harry's mother as well for both that reason and the intelligence and attention to marks they both had. The both of them had a natural longing for a Disney film done in the old style and were constantly looking out for the latest one.

This year, it was a film that wasn't even produced by Disney's own animation house, but by the outside company, Hyperion Productions. The film was called _The Brave Little Toaster_ , based on the book by Thomas M. Disch. It would be released in the UK in the coming weeks, and there was quite a buzz about it; not only was it delighting the people that had already seen it, but it hadn't even had a wide release in America yet. Harry's parents had constantly been reading about this film in the newspapers and found that in America, it was mostly being shown at film festivals rather than cinemas.

"Must be one of those arthouse films," James suggested.

"James," Lily jokingly admonished, "Do not mock the intellectuals. Can't you see how that upsets both your wife and your next door neighbor?"

James' eyes widened as Lily gestured at Hermione, but upon seeing his reaction, she fell into a fit of giggles. Because of their connection, Lily ended up doing the same, but mostly for the sake of laughing at her husband.

Sirius and Remus, meanwhile, weren't sure what to make of the film either. To them, a title like _The Brave Little Toaster_ sounded like a title for a generic kid's film. The advertisements they saw for the film, in both the newspapers and on television, weren't much help either; they just showed a bunch of household appliances (a desk lamp, a vacuum cleaner, a clock radio, an electric blanket, and the Brave Little Toaster himself) with smiley faces.

Harry's feelings about seeing the film seemed only partial as well. To him, it just looked like a film intended for younger children. He showed Hermione the newspaper advertisement and, needless to say, Hermione had difficulty finding interest in it as well.

"Look at this, Hermione," Harry complained. "We come off the tails of thrilling adventures like _The Black Cauldron_ and _The Great Mouse Detective_ , and we get a bunch of cute little talking household appliances.

"Not only that," Hermione added. "But this seems like only a step closer to the Disney animation we've been longing to see for ages."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"How can you not see it?!" Hermione cried. "Sure, it's all bright and colorful like the old films, but there's no coloured lines or luscious backgrounds."

Harry eyed her discontent as she added, "And there's no beautiful heroine, no fairytale setting, and I'm quite sure there won't be any songs in it."

After letting her emotions out, Hermione took a gulp of air before thinking the situation over a little more.

"Then again," she suggested. "Maybe your sister will like it, and who knows, maybe it could even surprise us."

"Harry thought it over a little more, knowing he couldn't argue with Hermione.

"Then again, you may be right," he grinned.

"You know I'm right," Hermione smiled back.

"Someone mention me?" called the voice of a younger girl.

Harry and Hermione looked at the doorway and saw Sarah, now four years old, standing in the doorway, with her hands on her hips. Naturally, this was a four year old's idea of attitude.

"Was it your girlfriend?" Sarah teased.

"She's not my girlfriend," Harry growled through his teeth.

"Well, she's a girl and she's your friend, so she's your girlfriend," Sarah decided.

"Oh really?" Harry smirked.

Harry stood up, picked up Sarah, dropped her on the bed, and started ticking her. Sarah, unfortunately, was able to wrestle her way out of it and tried pinning Harry to the bed to tickle him. As Harry tried to wrestle his way out, both ended up on the floor, causing Hermione to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked jokingly.

"Oh nothing," Hermione shrugged with a playful smile.

After a few more weeks of playful scenes like these, the big day came; it was Friday, November 20, 1987. Harry and Hermione dashed out the school doors like Harry had done two years prior when he was taken to see _The Black Cauldron_.

Harry's parents were waiting with Sarah, Sirius, and Remus by the Ford Escort, while Hermione's parents were waiting right behind them in a yellow Volkswagen Golf. Paul and Jane decided since this was going to be a "family affair", they'd have to join in on it.

Hermione joined her parents in their car, dragging Harry with her, while the others got into the Escort and drove off to the Plaza Cinema. As soon as they reached it, Hermione's eyes were taken by the glaring red neon signage, bearing the cinema's name, and the spectral white light of the marquee.

"What do you think?" Harry asked her.

"I don't know," Hermione shrugged. "I'm used to the more luxurious theater spaces at Shaftesbury Avenue."

"Come on!" Harry teased as he dragged a giggling Hermione out the car door.

As they stepped out onto the pavement, they heard some more giggling and looked to their left to see Sarah directing her full attention at them.

"On a date with your girlfriend, big brother?" She teased.

But before Harry could say anything, Hermione pulled him into the cinema and stopped to marvel at the interior, before Harry tried to drag her off to the snack bar.

The parents and other caregivers were quick to follow and, needless to say, Hermione's parents were quick to intervene once the kids reached the snack bar. This was before they learned to lighten up a little about sweets and other junk foods.

Paul placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder as she was became short by just one step.

"You know our rules, young lady," he warned. "No sweets that you can't brush away easily."

But before Hermione could look all crestfallen, Harry tapped her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "We'll share popcorn."

"Suddenly, he felt someone else tap him on the shoulder; someone shorter than him.

"Forget about me, big brother?" Sarah teased. "Or is it all about your girlfriend, now?"

Harry simply shook his head as Hermione pulled him though the theatre doors and the parents and caregivers followed, along with Sarah.

As both families took their seats, taking up nearly an entire row, Lily held separated both the older and younger kids and held a bag of popcorn for them to share.

As the lights went down and the film began, the audience simply sat there in silence. Not because the film was boring or anything, but because it seemed very laid back and quiet;

What they gathered from the plot was that a bunch of household appliances were worried that their master wasn't going to come home, and thus, they embark on a journey to find him.

As simple as it sounded, quite a few moments caught the families by surprise, most especially the parents and caregivers;

One was the Toaster's nightmare, in which he was pursued by a fireman clown; this had the families literally sinking in their seats.

As odd as that sounded, the one that may have easily had the parents in a frenzy was the climax in which the Master, having finally found his appliances, climbed through a garbage compactor to retrieve them.

By this point in the film, Harry and Hermione were on the edge of their seats, and if the audience's hearing was acute, they'd faintly hear the sound of feet tapping rhythmically; the families were tapping their feet to an upbeat song sung by crashed cars in a junkyard.

To some more logical thinkers, like Hermione, Lily, or Jane, it seemed even more odd that this type of song would play at a moment like this. But even Disney can make the logical thinkers suspend their disbelief and enjoy the ride.

Once the film was over, the families burst out the theatre doors, clearly having had a good time.

"That was amazing!" Hermione cried. "We must do this again for the next Disney animated feature!"

"We will," Harry promised. "We'll go on the lookout for it and pester our parents until their ears gush with blood!"

"Harry," Hermione scolded as her nose scrunched and eyebrows furrowed.

"Okay," Harry laughed. "Maybe not the last bit, but we'll keep our eyes open and pester our parents anyway."

Hermione simply laughed knowing Harry was right that their parents would agree. It seemed quite clear to them that Disney could do no wrong.


	5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit

_Chapter 5: Who Framed Roger Rabbit_

It was December of 1988. Harry and Hermione were now eight to nine years old and in Year Four of Primary School.

That same year, Sarah had reached the age of five and started Year One. Harry and Hermione didn't at school very often, but whenever they did, she'd purse her lips at them and make kissing sounds before being dragged away by her teacher.

However, the three of them eagerly awaited the winter holidays, especially since they were going to see Disney's latest motion picture sensation; a film pitting animated characters against live actors; a film that seemed like the gateway to a return to the classic Disney style of animation

The film had already been released, on December 2nd, but Harry and Hermione's parents wanted to save it for the holiday break. That film was the Touchstone Pictures and Amblin blockbuster, _Who Framed Roger Rabbit._

James, Sirius, and Remus seemed particularly excited for this film, as it would incorporate not only the Disney characters, but also Warner Bros. characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Popeye and Betty Boop from Max Fleischer, and other animation studios from the Golden Age of the 1920's up to the 1950's.

When Lily and James started dating, she introduced him to the wonders of the muggle world, including television, where he discovered reruns of classic cartoons. During holidays, he'd invite Sirius and Remus to Lily's house to see them, and thus, the three Marauders were completely hooked.

Once Harry was born, they brought him into the living room to watch and three wizards and a baby howling in front of the television with laughter became a daily ritual. When the Grangers moved into the neighborhood, they were invited over to watch as well, but Lily and Jane simply stood by the doorway to the living room, smiling and shaking their heads at the guys.

However, when Hermione stepped into the living room, Harry and Paul always dragged her to the sofa to watch with them and she couldn't escape the laughter either.

"You just _had_ to drag me away from my books, Harry," she giggled.

"Oh, come on!" Harry teased "You're laughing!"

Hermione knew she couldn't argue with that and tried her best to sigh without laughing.

"You're right," she resolved. "Besides, this kind of laughter is always worth it."

As soon as they heard Hermione's laughter, Lily and Jane joined the rest of them in watching the cartoons before going off to the kitchen to check up on the afternoon tea they were preparing.

On Friday, December 23, 1988, school let out and Harry and Hermione were caught in a flood of children rushing out the doors. Once they were free, they saw their families waiting by their respective cars, for this too was going to be a "family affair".

More members of their family group were attending as well; They lived in London and helped maintain the Potters' private life in Liverpool. Their names were Ted and Andromeda Tonks. Through Andromeda, they were cousins to Sirius.

They were at King's Cross Station picking up their daughter, fifteen-year-old "Don't Call Me" Nymphadora Tonks. She was returning from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which Harry and Hermione would attend in the next three years. She wasn't too pleased with her first name, and her mother wasn't willing to call her by her last name, so they settled on calling her "Dora" for short.

Dora disembarked from the train and was usually easy to point out for her spiky, bubblegum-pink bob. She was a metamorphagus, meaning she could change her appearance however she pleased. This time, she decided to make this work to her advantage;

She noticed a crowd of other students nearby and slipped into it, before changing her face, figure, and hair to that of a dark-haired boy. Her parents began to dart around to find her, until Andromeda felt a tap on her shoulder. When she looked around, she saw Dora in her new form.

"Can I help you…" she asked.

But before she could finish, Dora returned to her trademark form within a split second. Andromeda, naturally gave a scream of fright, before Dora replied, "Yes."

"Nymphadora, don't scare me like that!" Andromeda gasped.

"Why not?" Dora smirked. "It'll teach you not to call me "Nymphadora."

As much of a laugh as Dora had, she was unprepared for what she was going to see in the next two days.

The next day, James and Sirius drove to London to pick up the Tonkses and take them to Liverpool to stay at the Potters' house for the Christmas festivities. As soon as Dora was settled in, the three Marauders sat her down in the living room, in front of the television.

"Miss Tonks…" James began.

"We are about to prepare you…" Sirius continued.

"For the biggest laugh fest, you will ever have in your entire life!" Remus finished.

Remus turned on the television and inserted a VHS Tape which read, _The Cartoon Collection_. Once it started, it wasn't too long before Dora inched closer and closer to the television until she was "glued" and laughing like a maniac.

After at least half an hour of several Disney and Warner Bros. shorts, the tape finally stopped, and Dora finally turned her head back to the Marauders.

"Play it again!" she demanded.

"Well, she asked for it." Sirius chuckled, looking at Remus.

Remus opened a nearby cupboard and pulled out a whole stack of tapes. For the rest of the day, Dora sat inches away from the television on her knees, laughing hysterically, until Remus came to pry her away either for dinner.

"Hey!" she cried.

"It's Christmas Eve," Remus reminded her. "Don't want to keep the family waiting, do we?"

Dora was finally seated at the dinner table, next to her parents, they noticed a rather stupid, moronic grin on her face.

"What's so funny, dear?" Andromeda queried.

"Nothing," Dora giggled, either from all that laughter, or the attention Remus was giving her.

The following evening, it was finally time to see the movie. Dora was going to join the outing, while her parents attended a Ministry Christmas party, which wouldn't offer much for the youth anyway.

The Escort and the Golf were waiting outside the house, where the parents were reviewing seating arrangements with the kids. Harry and Dora ended up joining Hermione and her parents in their Golf, while the others piled in the Sedan.

During the drive to the Plaza, James muttered to himself, "I should get really get something bigger."

"Yeah," Lilly teased, "Why not a limousine? We could enchant it to hold even more of us…"

"Not a bad idea," James grinned, to which Lily shook her head.

As soon as they pulled up to the cinema, Dora's eyes were taken by the light of the signage and marquee.

"What do you think?" Harry asked her.

"It's like seeing Hogwarts for the first time when the boats take you across the lake," Dora breathed out.

"You know," Harry joked as he pointed at the red light, "My dad thinks it's a place where they keep the girls…"

"Come on, Prongslet," James interrupted, grabbing Harry by the shoulder.

The families entered the cinema, with Remus and Dora at the back of the line.

"Well, shall we?" Remus invited as he held the door open.

"Yes, we shall," Dora replied as she entered, her moronic grin returning.

Once they entered, the others were waiting by the snack bar, buying popcorn and drinks. While Remus stepped up to buy his own, Dora found herself staring at him, until a large tub of popcorn was shoved into her arms, thus blocking her view.

"Hey!" she cried.

"Save the ogling for the movie, Tonksie," he teased, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her into the theatre.

The families took their seats, again taking up nearly an entire row, younger kids on the left, and Dora way on the right, with the adults in between.

As the lights went down, the audience became silent… until the film began, that is, with Roger Rabbit chasing Baby Herman through the kitchen, running across the stove, falling into the oven with a pot stuck on his head, and getting pinned to the wall by throng of knives.

If the slapstick wasn't funny, then the three Marauders were laughing when they read the brand name on the oven; _Hotternell_

If that wasn't funny enough, then one Marauder's reaction to one certain character was. It was in the scene where our hero, Eddie Valiant, visits the Ink and Paint club, where the toons performed. It was here the audience got to meet the film's real star; the always-popular Jessica Rabbit.

Jessica was basically a knockout, with her luscious red hair, glittery red dress, long purple gloves, and outlandish proportions. If anyone was ogling at her, it was Sirius Black. He'd watched as Eddie Valiant questioned what she saw in Roger Rabbit, to which she replied,

"He makes me laugh".

Sirius, naturally, was thinking, "I could make her laugh."

It didn't help that by the time the film was over, he started to look even more jealous when Jessica embraced Roger and smothered him with kisses.

But little did Sirius know that while he was ogling at Jessica, someone else nearby was staring at him, trying to muffle her laughter.

By the end of the film, Dora burst out the door, laughing, though for different reasons than the others had anticipated.

"What did you think, cous?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, I loved that," Dora cackled. "Believe me, I did."

"Oh, I believe you," Sirius promised.

It seemed clear to Dora that Sirius was missing something; she thought about maybe getting him alone and transforming herself to look like Jessica.

"No," she thought to herself. "I'll use it to tease any jealous guys at school."

Dora kept laughing as she left the cinema and joined Harry and Hermione in the Golf. Both could sense she had an enjoyable first trip to the movies and decided that perhaps another trip was in order. But maybe her next film might be more in-line with the Disney Classics…


	6. Oliver and Company

_Chapter 6: Oliver and Company_

It was December of 1989.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were now nine to ten years old and two years away from attending Hogwarts.

It was during the last year that they'd heard in the news that Disney was putting out a new animated film each year, as opposed to waiting every two to five years for the next one.

They'd heard it on a Sunday night in early October on the weekly _Magical World of Disney_ show, hosted by Disney boss, Michael Eisner. Every week, they'd show a classic or recent Disney film or even a television special, sometimes followed by a special behind-the-scenes look at an upcoming film.

What they came across seemed less than spectacular compared to the year before. It was Disney's 27th animated feature, _Oliver and Company_. This was yet another film that seemed more in line with the Disney films of the 1970's and the early 1980's; particularly _The Aristocats_.

"Another cat movie?" Harry complained.

Hermione, being a cat lover, had to swat Harry on the shoulder just for that.

"Harry James Potter!" she jokingly admonished. "Do not insult the grace and dignity of the feline with his cute little tuft of hair!"

Harry tried to hold back a laugh, but at the instigation of his father and godfather, he just couldn't.

What hat seemed to be luring Harry in was the music. It wasn't the usual Disney fare, but more in line with the popular standards of the time.

Harry had read the film's cast in the newspaper; Bette Midler, Cheech Marin, Ruth Pointer, Huey Lewis, and Billy Joel as the Artful Dodger.

One afternoon, he and Hermione were up in his bedroom looking at an advertisement for showtimes.

Hermione gasped, "Harry, look!"

"What?" Harry asked.

" _'Billy Joel as the 'Artful Dodger',_ " Hermione read. "That means this must be an adaptation of Oliver Twist."

From what Harry remembered in previews, the setting appeared to be modern-day New York.

"Doesn't look very Dickensian," he commented, articulately for a nine year old. "I mean, what's Billy Joel got to do with any of this?"

"Who knows?" Hermione shrugged. "Maybe there'll be some modern-day parallels with the book."

"Or," Harry suggested. "Maybe, they're just trying to rake us in with disposable pop tunes?"

"You haven't even heard any of the music yet." Hermione insisted.

"We have heard threads of the Billy Joel song," Harry countered. "At least that had me tapping my feet."

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione insisted. "There's going to be toys at McDonald's and other places!"

"So?" Harry shrugged.

"So it _must_ be good!" Hermione finished.

"I'll buy the toy thing," Harry joked.

"Very funny, now come on!" Hermione retorted as she grabbed Harry by the arm. "Let's get this to your dad before it sells out."

Hermione pulled Harry out of his bedroom to get the advertisement to James. Whenever the families went to see any film at the Plaza, James usually called them on the telephone to reserve tickets. Remember in those days, there was no internet.

When James saw the advertisement and noticed the mention of McDonald's, however, he had anidea. He shooed the Hermione out of the room, put the phone down, and signaled for Harry to be quiet. Hermione waited in Harry's bedroom for James to give them the date, but he never showed did.

For the next few days, Hermione had to plead and beg to try and get an answer.

"Mr. Potter!" she begged

"Janes!" he corrected, jokingly.

"James!" she begged. "When are we going to see the movie!"

"I'm not telling," he chuckled.

Hermione's days of begging turned into weeks that turned into the next two months.

It was now Friday, December 22, 1989. School finally let out and Harry dragged Hermione down the stairs and out the doors to avoid another mass of children flooding out.

Paul and Jane were waiting outside by the Volkswagen Golf, as they and the Potters decided to try carpooling their kids to and from school.

Harry also noticed that Sarah wasn't waiting outside the school. But before he could ask about it, Paul and Jane led them into the car.

As they drove home, Harry noticed that Hermione looked worried.

"Harry, do you think your dad forgot?" she asked him.

"About what?" Harry teased.

"Harry James Potter!" she mock scolded. "Don't tell me you've forgotten!"

Harry smiled and shook his head, while Hermione eyed him suspiciously. When they reached his house, Lily and James brought them into the living room. James handed Hermione that day's newspaper with the ad for _Oliver and Company_ and that evening's showtime circled in red.

"Surprise!" They shouted. "We're going to see it tonight!"

"And that's not the best part," James added.

He pointed at the McDonald's section of the ad, which read,

 _Free Oliver or Dodger plush ornament when you purchase Gift Certificates from participating McDonald's, while supplies last._

Hermione read the stub with a complete lack of disappointment.

"Why you…" she started giggling.

At that moment, Sirius and Remus stepped into the living room.

"Are we late? What does she think?" Remus asked.

"Did we miss it?" Sirius added.

Their answer was provided at the sight of Hermione falling off the couch and doubling over with laughter.

At the other end of the couch, Harry noticed Sarah doubling over with laughter herself. He assumed his parents brought her home from school early.

"You had to be part of the surprise, didn't you?" He muttered.

Later that evening, the families separated into the Escort and Golf before driving off to the Plaza. Once the cars pulled up, Hermione dragged Harry into the theatre, where a cardboard display advertising the film stood at the right of the lobby. At the bottom was the same McDonald's stub, with an extra one that read,

 _Don't miss the new Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park when visiting Walt Disney World._

"That must be something to see, right?" Harry muttered

"Indeed," Hermione agreed.

They stood there for awhile before Lily called them over to the snack bar. Once they were loaded up with popcorn and drinks, they entered the cinema.

They took their seats, the lights went down, and the previews begun. One of them, they'd consider probably the best moment of the evening. It was a preview for Disney's next animated film that would get its U.K. release next year. It was Disney's 28th animated feature, _The Little Mermaid_.

Needless to say, Hermione was bouncing in her seat and giggling before leaning over to Harry's ear.

"Oh, Harry!" she whispered. "I knew we picked the right reason to see this movie!"

"Shh!" Harry shushed. "The film's starting."

The film finally began with a view of New York City and a box of kittens all being sold, except one (the Oliver) to the easy listening beats of Huey Lewis.

If that wasn't odd enough to start the film, the Dodger was an adult dog, singing easy listening while dancing down the sidewalk, sitting on pianos hoisted up buildings, and riding on the backs of taxis.

To Harry, the song was good enough on its own and made for a good singing plush doll, but not much else.

Sarah, meanwhile, was getting into a campy Bette Musker-voiced poodle named Georgette. That and her lounge-style song, _Perfect Isn't Easy_.

"She's probably thinking what I'm thinking," Harry thought.

Sirius, on the other hand, found himself laughing at Tito the Chihuahua, played by Cheech Marin, stretching across a sofa clutching a cigar, saying,

"Hey man, if this is torture, chain me to the wall!"

Ultimately, the best scene was the climax where the bum Fagin and his dogs were chased through the subway and over the Brooklyn Bridge by the loan shark, Bill Sykes, driving like a maniac until he and his car were hurled off the bridge and into the Hudson River by an oncoming train.

Once the film was over, Hermione dashed out the door with tears in her eyes. Harry's expression, on the other hand, was more neutral.

"Hermione, are you okay?" He asked, noticing her tears.

"I'm crying tears of joy, Harry," she cried. "That Oliver was so cute, I wish I had one! Maybe even a real cat."

Harry dragged her out of the theatre and back into the Golf so they could get to the nearest McDonald's. The Escort followed once they reached it, Hermione noticed two fliers; one for the _Oliver and Company_ toys, the other for the plush ornaments.

As the families entered and ordered, Harry, Hermione, and Sarah were each handed a package. After unwrapping them, they each found a vinyl finger puppet resembling a character from the film; Harry unwrapped a Dodger, Sarah a Georgette, and Hermione gleefully found an Oliver.

After eating, the families drove home and Harry and Hermione were led back into the living room by their parents. Each were handed a small box with the film's logo printed on it. Harry noticed his box had a picture of the Dodger on it and Hermione's has a picture of Oliver.

"Open them," James instructed.

Both children unwrapped their boxes and each removed one of the plush ornaments they'd read about; Harry pulled out a Dodger and Hermione an Oliver.

Hermione in particular was excited beyond belief to put this on the Christmas tree.

Three days later, it was finally Christmas morning as Harry was once again awoken by a bushy-haired ball, bouncing on his bed, shouting,

"Harry! Harry! Wake up! It's Christmas!"

Hermione dragged Harry out of bed, down the stairs, and into the living room, where their presents awaited under the tree where the Oliver and Dodger ornaments were hanging. Sarah caught up to them and the parents and godfathers stepped into the room, watching expectantly.

Each child pulled out an oddly shaped wrapped package with their name on them. Hermione was overjoyed as she unwrapped a stuffed Oliver, with the little tuft on his head, and blue collar with his name on the tag. While Hermione cuddled her Oliver to her chest, Sarah hysterically unwrapped a stuffed Georgette. Harry unwrapped a stuffed Dodger, while James reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

"Here," he offered.

Harry took the item and found a pair of black plastic Wayfarer sunglasses.

"Put them on," James instructed.

Harry placed the sunglasses on his Dodger and they magically resized themselves to fit. Sirius chuckled before James tossed him an oddly shaped package with his name on it. He unwrapped a stuffed Tito chihuahua before glancing over at Harry, who doubled over laughing with Hermione and Sarah. Thee other parents chuckled along and Remus nudged Sirius in the side to make him break a smile.

Afterwards, the children unwrapped copies of the _Oliver and Company_ soundtrack on CD and cassette tape. All these presents were enough to make Harry realize something;

He didn't enjoy the movie itself so much as the soundtrack or the toys and seeing this movie was more of an excuse to buy them. Either way, it was still an enjoyable time and another great Christmas. But, with the next Disney animated feature that was due, Harry could tell next Christmas would be even greater…


	7. The Little Mermaid

_Chapter 7: The Little Mermaid_

It was December of 1990.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were now ten to eleven years old and were due to start at Hogwarts the following year, much to the envy of Harry's sister, Sarah.

But at this time of year, she didn't mind because something big was about to happen. Something absolutely positively worth waiting for from the perspective of a seven year old girl with red hair.

From the perspective of a couple of mothers and a bushy-haired, female, eleven-year-old top-form student it was no different. It was the U.K. release of Disney's latest animated feature. A film along the lines of classics like _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio,_ and _Cinderella,_ it was a return to the Disney musical fairytale people had been missing for the last thirty years.

That film was Disney's 28th animated feature, _The Little Mermaid._

Sarah was beyond excited for this film for no other reason besides the fact that the heroine of this film, Ariel, was a redhead like her. Hermione too was excited, but not to the same extent. For the past couple of months at school, the more riotous cry always came from Sarah's classroom than Hermione's.

One afternoon, Harry was sitting at his desk while Hermione and Sarah were competing to make a bigger fuss over _The Little Mermaid_. He was looking at the ad for the film in the newspaper while thinking of some new friends he and Hermione made that year, the Weasleys. They were a family of red-haired pure-bloods, living in a less-fortunate house in Ottery St. Catchpole.

The Weasleys consisted of two parents; Arthur and Molly, six sons; Bill, Charlie, Percy, twins Fred and George, and Ron, and one daughter, Ginny. They helped to keep the Potters' location a secret to maintain their privacy, and were frequent visitors to the Potters' Liverpool house.

Harry thought that Ginny might love to see _The Little Mermaid_ , as her father was fascinated by Muggle things.

At that moment, Harry heard a car pull up to the house. Out the window, he saw a light blue Ford Anglia parked on the street. Out stepped four people; Arthur, Molly, Ron, and Ginny Weasley. The other Weasley children were either working out of the country or still at Hogwarts.

Harry looked back at Hermione, who nodded back to him. He rolled up the newspaper and both raced down the stairs. Upon reaching the living room, they greeted all four Weasleys before finally turning to Ginny.

"Hi Ginny," Harry began.

"Hello Harry, Hermione," Ginny blushed nervously.

"We want to tell you about this new film we were going to see," Hermione continued.

" _Film_?" Ginny puzzled. "You mean like the moving pictures they show on a big screen that Daddy talks about?"

"Yes," Harry answered. "This is the one we're talking about."

Harry unrolled the newspaper in his hand to show the advertisement.

"' _The Little Mermaid'?_ " Ginny read.

"Yes," Hermione replied. "This is a sort of cartoon film made by a company called Disney. They make a new one every year, sometimes based on a fairy tale."

" _Fairy_ tale?" Ginny queried "You mean the stories Daddy talks about that Muggle children read?"

"Yeah," Hermione confirmed. "All the best ones involve a beautiful heroine and this one has ginger hair like yours."

"She does?!" Ginny cried, for now she was getting excited. "I want to see that! When are you going?"

"The 21st," Hermione confirmed.

"Oh," Ginny realized. "That's when my parents go to pick my brothers up from King's Cross Station."

"Maybe we can pick you up at King's Cross and go into London to see it," Hermione suggested.

"I'll ask Mum!" Ginny perked up.

While the adults were conversing, Ginny rushed over with the newspaper and showed the article to the adults. After a brief discussion, which Harry and Hermione heard no word of, Ginny rushed back over with a cartoonishly wide grin on her face.

"Was it a 'yes'?" Hermione asked.

"Yes!" Ginny giggled. "I even asked if I could bring a friend of mine along and they agreed!"

"What about Ron?" Harry suggested. "Wouldn't he want to come with us?"

"I asked him that, but he said he 'had to catch up with our brothers' ," Ginny answered. "I think it's because he's too embarrassed to come along."

"What would he be embarrassed about?" Harry puzzled.

"The mermaid's got ginger hair, like his," Ginny explained.

"Oh no!" Hermione giggled before doubling over.

Both Harry and Ginny doubled over with the same laughter before Sarah ran into the room.

"What's so funny?" She asked "I don't want to miss a laugh fest."

Ginny just barely caught her breath before giggling out, "We think my brother's got a crush on The Little Mermaid!"

"What?!" Sarah cried before doubling over and joining the other children in their laughter.

"On the other hand," Harry gasped. "If Sirius can have the hots for Jessica Rabbit, Ron isn't too far off."

The other children looked at each other before doubling over again. After a good laugh and a wait, the date of December 21, 1990 finally came. School let out for the holidays and Hermione dragged Harry down the stairs this time, only to have Sarah reach the doors first.

Hermione pouted before Harry dragged her by the hand and pulled her to the Volkswagen Golf waiting by the curb. He decided, for her sake, to ride with her parents and let Sarah giggle all the way to the cinema in the back seat of the Escort.

They drove out to London and finally reached King's Cross Station. When they got out, Harry's parents directed both him and Hermione to a barrier between Platforms 9 and 10.

"This is the way to Platform 9 ¾," James explained. "When you two start Hogwarts next year, you'll take the train from there."

"All you've got to do…" Lily added. "…is walk straight at the barrier. Go on."

Harry and Hermione did as they were told and sure enough, Ginny was waiting on the Platform with her parents and brother. Standing next to her was a girl her age with waist-length dirty blonde hair and pale silvery eyes that gave off a rather dreamy expression. Talking with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley was a man with shoulder length white hair. Lily and James walked over for one final discussion with the parents before they patted their daughters on the shoulder, and sent them on their way.

"Hi Ginny," Hermione greeted.

"Who's this?" Harry asked.

"This is my friend, Luna Lovegood," Ginny explained. "I thought she'd want to come along and see this too; She's interested in the unusual,"

"I'm also curious to see another one of these 'Disney films'," Luna furthered. "I've just seen the one you call _Alice in Wonderland_ and Ginevra joined me."

"Where did you see it?" Hermione asked.

"On her dad's enchanted television," Ginny explained. "He made it work so that it never loses its signal."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other ponderously before heading back to the cars. Since there were five children, Hermione rode in the Golf with Ginny and Luna while Harry was relegated to sitting in the back of the Escort.

"At least I'm not sitting next to Sarah," he thought. "She'd probably poke me the whole way through."

Sarah was bouncing in her seat, too busy to care. When they finally reached the cinema, the children noticed it was a different one; the massive, Art-Deco style Odeon in Leicester Square.

"This Harry," Lily explained, "Is where they have all the big premiers and it seemed to make sense to go here rather than drive all the way back to Liverpool."

Harry was awed by the size of the theatre, while Sarah just jumped out of her seat and rushed into the theatre. Once Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were out of the Golf, they noticed Sarah rushing to the theatre entrance.

"She's going to beat us in!" Hermione cried.

"I already have!" Sarah teased after doing a double take.

When Sarah reached the entrance doors first, the other girls raced after her, despite Hermione's cute little pout. Upon entering, they marveled at the scale of the place; even larger and more spacious than the Plaza and modeled in the same Art Deco style, with comfortable plush booths.

Hermione dragged Harry over to a cardboard lobby display advertising none other than _The Little Mermaid_. At the bottom was a familiar stub, which read,

 _Don't miss the new Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park when visiting Walt Disney World._

There was also an extra one that read,

 _Free Flounder or Sebastian plush ornament when you purchase Gift Certificates from participating McDonald's, while supplies last._

Hermione looked over at Harry and grinned.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she teased.

Harry nodded before the two of them darted towards the snack bar. When Sarah noticed, she took a few steps before seeing Ginny and Luna immersing themselves in the bright colours of the display.

"Come on!" She demanded as she grabbed Ginny pulled them along.

But Harry and Hermione had already reached the snack bar and were holding a bag of popcorn.

"Hey, no fair!" she cried before Lily stuffed a bag of popcorn into her arms.

Harry and Hermione already entered the theatre as Lily dragged Sarah in, followed by the rest of the group. They took their seats, again taking up quite a row, kids on the left, adults on the right, the lights went down, and the previews rolled.

The film finally began with the introduction of Prince Eric, but once they were taken under the sea, the kids felt the real magic beginning; particularly at the sixteen minute mark, when Ariel, the Mermaid, began singing her signature power ballad _Part of Your World._

As the girls watched and listened, they felt the passion that Ariel had; Ginny, Luna, and Sarah leaned in eagerly, but Hermione looked a little hesitant.

"At least Luna has Alice," she thought, "But I wish Disney made a heroine that looked like me."

The adults, on the other hand, were too busy tapping their feet during the _Under the Sea_ song. The ones already familiar enough with the Muggle world easily expected this to win the Oscar.

Luna shrunk back in their seats at the appearance of the slimy villainess Ursula, Sarah giggled at the so-called "romantic" _Kiss the Girl_ song, Harry cheered at the peak of the climax between Prince Eric and Ursula, and Ginny and Hermione cried at the end when the Sea King Triton gave Ariel his blessing to marry Eric.

Once the film was over, the girls dashed out the door with tears in their eyes.

"Hermione," Ginny cried. "That was perhaps the greatest Muggle experience of my young life!"

"And it's not over yet!" Hermione added.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"You'll see when we get there," Sarah explained with a smirk on her face.

Sarah grabbed Ginny and Luna by the hands and rushed them out the doors. Hermione, though, seemed affronted by Sarah's little smirk and silently dragged Harry out the doors, who again acted more neutral.

Once outside, Sarah pulled Ginny and Luna into the Escort, while Hermione was left to drag Harry into the Golf. The cars drove to the nearest McDonalds in London, where Hermione and Sarah's eyes lit up at the sight of two fliers; one for _Little Mermaid_ toys, the other for the plush ornaments.

As the families entered, the adults went to order, while the kids were seated at a nearby table. Luna was busy glancing around, but Ginny noticed Harry, Hermione, and Sarah taking in families surroundings.

"Where are we now?" she asked.

"This is McDonald's," Harry explained. "It's a great restaurant where you can just go up to the counter and order and they'll have your meal ready in minutes."

"It's all pre-prepared," Hermione added. "And they have children's meals where they offer little toys from the latest movies."

"Does this mean…" Ginny began excitedly.

Ginny was answered as each of the kids were handed a package. After unwrapping them, they each found a character from the film; Harry unwrapped a Prince Eric, Luna a Flounder, and Sarah, Ginny, and Hermione gleefully unwrapped an Ariel. All the toys came with a small pamphlet that showed what the toys did;

"Mine floats in water," Harry pointed out.

"So do ours," Hermione added.

"Mine squirts water," Luna added.

"And you're lucky to get them," Lily explained. "The people at the counter said tons of kids were coming in and they were almost sold out of Ariels."

Harry looked over at Hermione, who blushed, until Lily leaned over and whispered something into Harry's ear. His eyes widened and nodded in agreement and the others noticed.

"Do you think there'll be any more surprises for us?" she asked.

Harry simply shrugged until the kids were each presented their burgers, fries, and milkshakes. After eating, the families drove back to Liverpool, where Ginny and Luna were spending the night so their parents could wait until the next day to pick them up.

Three days later, it was Christmas Eve and right before Harry and Hermione went to bed, they saw the Flounder and Sebastian ornaments on the tree; the Flounder ornament was wearing a red sack hat, while the Sebastian ornament wore a pair of green earmuffs with matching mittens and a scarf.

The next morning, a bushy-haired ball awoke and started bouncing on Harry's bed, shouting,

"Harry! Harry! Wake up! It's Christmas!"

If that wasn't enough, a smaller readheaded burst into the room to tickle Harry's sides like there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately, she pouted when Hermione got to him first.

Hermione dragged Harry out of bed and down the stairs into the living room, with Sarah trailing behind them. Several packages were waiting under the tree, separated by name into piles. Sarah noticed she had several larger packages than Harry or Hermione and started tearing into them;

She unwrapped a set of Little Mermaid bedsheets, a pink electronic shell locket that played Ariel's voice, and two fashion dolls resembling Ariel and Prince Eric, made by TYCO.

While Sarah squealed over her presents, Hermione unwrapped a set of _Little Mermaid_ figures, a Viewmaster with _Little Mermaid_ reels, and a double pack set of Flounder and Sebastian plushies all made by TYCO.

All Harry unwrapped was a plush version of Max, the sheepdog in the film. But he stood up, grinning at the two girls, though, almost as if he had something to do with it.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I went to the Disney Store in London with my parents the other day, and we picked all these presents out!" He answered. "I even picked out presents for Ginny, Luna, and Ron!"

"What did you get them?" Hermione continued.

"For Ginny, I picked out the Talking Ariel doll," Harry replied. "And for Luna, I picked up a stuffed Flounder."

"What about Ron?"Hermione pressed.

"Well, I reckoned he'd try and nick Ginny's doll," Harry explained. "So I bought him the Tropical Ariel doll with tropical print costume changes and different pairs of sunglasses.

"I'd love to see the look on his face now!" Sarah giggled.

Hermione couldn't escape the giggles as she doubled over before all the children unwrapped copies of _The Little Mermaid_ soundtrack on CD and cassette tape.

Yes, 1990 had been a _Little Mermaid_ Christmas for both the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds, but in another couple of years would come the biggest Christmas of all, that Hermione was waiting for all her life…


End file.
